Earlier last month Nvidia has unveiled the mighty GM204 GPU at its Game24 event and this GPU, as well as the Geforce GTX 980 and the GTX 970 graphics cards based on the new part, became a rather big thorn in AMD's eye, especially due to Maxwell's performance per watt. Efficiency is quite impressive considering the GPU is still based on the 28nm manufacturing process. In less than month, Nvidia has unleashed the same GPU on the mobile market, as the GTX 980M and the GTX 970M.

What probably comes as the biggest surprise when it comes to new mobile Maxwell 2.0 GPUs is the fact that this is probably the least cut-down mobile GPU when compared to the desktop counterparts. For example, mobile Fermi GPUs offered around 40 percent of performance compared to their desktop counterparts, and Kepler raised the bar to around 60 percent. Despite their same name, mobile GPUs are always way below their desktop counterparts for obvious reasons, and while that might happened before, the new Maxwell 2.0 changes everything and closes the relative performance gap placing the performance of the mobile GTX 980M at around 80 percent of the GTX 980. The GTX 970M is a bit of a different story, as comparing those specifications suggest that we might be looking at around 60 to 70 percent performance compared to the desktop counterpart, the GTX 970.

Expectedly, the 28nm GM204 GPU based GTX 980M has 1536 CUDA cores and works at 1038MHz for the GPU base clock and while the Boost GPU clock is unknown, the impressive base clock suggest that it packs quite a punch. The GTX 980M still retained the 256-bit memory interface which will be paired up with 4GB or 8GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5.0GHz. The GTX 970M on the other hand packs 1280 CUDA cores, 924MHz base GPU clock and comes with either 3GB or 6GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 5.0GHz and paired up with a 192-bit memory interface. Unfortunately, Nvidia did not reveal any details regarding the TDP of these two new mobile Maxwell 2.0 GPUs.

According to Nvidia, the GTX 980M has double the performance of the GTX 680M and will bring gaming at "beyond 1080p" on notebooks.

The mobile GM204 Maxwell will also bring all the features seen with the desktop counterparts, including the VXGI, FXAA, DSR, DirectX 12 support and Nvidia GameWorks, but also some features that are mobile related, like the well known graphics-switching Optimus Technology as well as the new BateryBoost technology. While it did not reveal any specific details, Nvidia did note that the new BatteryBoost will set a maximum frame rate from 30 to 60FPS, thus pushing all the system components at peak efficiency.

According to Nvidia, there should be over a dozen SKUs already available with the Geforce GTX 980M and GTX 970M including MSI's GT72, GS70 and GS60 models, Asus' G751, Gigabyte's Aurus X7 and P35 models while system integrators like AVADirect, MainGear and OriginPC should also have these new GPUs available as an option.

Networking juggernaut Cisco has published a new report into mobile malware and its findings will give iOS and Windows Phone users quite a few reasons to be smug.

The report found that 99 percent of all malware attacks are targeted at Android. The rate for iPhone users was 14 percent. Java is also a big target, as 91 percent of all web exploits appear to be focused on Java.

Unsurprisingly, Cisco also found that Android users face more risks than users of any other mobile platform. Most “security encounters” involve phishing, social engineering, forcible redirects and “likejacking”.

Hackers are especially keen on BYOD. As more and more businesses give a green light to BYOD, hackers are seeing it as another “business opportunity,” the report found. Hackers are also trying to monetize adware and spyware designed to target small and medium businesses.

TSMC and GlobalFoundries are expected to have 20nm mobile chip production in 2014 and this should align with the next generation of ARM based mobile processors. At the moment 2.3GHz is currently the limit 28nm and Snapdragon 800 and Tegra 4i (Grey) that is set to come in late 2013 or early 2014 both stop at this magical clock.

In order to surpass this number there is a big indication that companies will have to go for a smaller manufacturing node such as 20nm. At 20nm TSMC promises 30 percent higher speed and 1.9 times better density at 25 percent less power. The 30 percent faster will get ARM SoCs to around 3GHz with significantly more transistors that will mostly be spent on graphics. This is most likely how Nvidia plans to put the Kepler core on a Logan processor but we don’t have this confirmed, it just makes sense.

The 25 percent reduction in power consumption can be translated into a 25 percent better battery life boost with next generation SoCs. Since poor battery life is still one of the top complaints when it comes to smartphones, consumers should look forward to 20nm.

This will make the ARM alliance more competitive and ready to face the x86 threat coming from Intel and AMD, especially in the tablet and convertible space, but we are confident that Intel is not sleeping. If all goes well toward the end of 2014 Intel is going to get to 14nm Atoms, and AMD has a chance to get to the same transistor size with GlobalFoundries that has promised 14nm in the 2014.

Nvidia has officially announced five new mobile GPUs that will be a part of the Geforce 700M series. All five new GPUs will feature Nvidia GPU Boost 2.0, Optimus and Nvidia Geforce Experience technologies.

The new lineup of Geforce 700M mobile GPU series will now include Geforce GT 750M, GT 745M and Geforce GT 740M as a part of the performance segment as well as the Geforce GT 735M and the Geforce GT 720M for the mainstream segment.

Unfortunately, Nvidia's did not list any precise specifications on its website but Anandtech.com managed to dig out some info. According to Anand, the Geforce GT 750 is either based on 28nm GK107 or GK106, features 384 CUDA cores, works at 967MHz GPU clock plus Boost and features up to 2GB of GDDR5/DDR3 memory clocked at up to 5.0GHz and paired up with a 128-bit memory interface.

The GT 745M and the GT 740M are pretty much the same as both are based on the 28nm GK107 GPU with 384 CUDA cores. Both can be equipped with up to 2GB of GDDR5/DDR3 memory clocked at up to 5.0GHz and paired up with a 128-bit memory interface. The Geforce GT 745M works at up to 837MHz plus Boost for the GPU while the Geforce GT 740M works at up to 980MHz plus Boost. It is not clear how GT 740M ends up clocked higher than the GT 745M but it might have something to do with the maximum Boost.

The mainstream lineup includes the Geforce GT 735M and the Geforce 720M, as well as two other GPUs that Nvidia did not mention officially, the Geforce GT 730M and the Geforce 710M. The Geforce GT 735M and the Geforce GT 730M are both based on the 28n GK208 GPU, feature 384 CUDA cores and have an effective memory clock of 2GHz. Both come with up to 2GB of DDR3 memory paired up with a 64-bit memory interface. The Geforce GT 735M works at up 889MHz plus Boost while the GT 730M works at up to 719MHz plust Boost.

The Geforce GT 720M and the Geforce 710M are both based on 28nm Fermi GPU and feature 96 CUDA cores. They both feature up to 2GB of DDR3 memory paired up with a 64-bit memory interface. The Geforce GT 720M works at 938MHz plus Boost for the GPU while memory ended up at up to 2GHz. The Geforce 710M works at up to 800MHz plus Boost for the GPU while memory will be clocked at up to 1.8GHz.

Nvidia revealed a neat slide that puts the most of its new lineup against Intel's HD 4000 IGP. Nvidia also claims that its new Geforce 700M series paired up with Geforce Experience can be used to play ten top 2012 games at optimal settings.

The availability is most likely expected once Intel launches its Haswell CPUs which is expected sometimes later in Q2 2013.

Just as we wrote a couple of days ago, AMD has officially announced its first batch of Richland mobile APUs. Richland APUs are the replacement for AMD's Trinity APUs that were a big deal last year. Although they are pretty much based on same CPU and GPU architecture, as well as the same 32nm manufacturing process and even use the same socket, Richland does bring some serious and interesting improvements.

As noted earlier, Richland is still based on Piledriver CPU cores, while the GPU part is still based on the same GPU architecture as the Trinity GPU, despite its new Radeon HD 8000 series model number. On the other hand, the new Richland parts did get higher clock CPU and GPU frequencies, some impressive power management improvements and platform oriented enhancements and features.

To be precise, AMD has launched only four mobile Richland SKUs today, all with the same 35W TDP. The flagship quad-core A10-5750M is joined by another quad-core A8-5550M and two dual-core APUs, the A6-5350M and the A4-5150M. You can expect slightly higher PCU and GPU clocks while the rest of the specs remain unchanged, at least in the mobile segment. The A10-5750M does get 1866MHz memory support, but still features the same amount of L2 cache and same amount of "Radeon Cores" in its Radeon HD 8650G GPU.

AMD did not focus on talking about performance but rather comparing the actual power consumption of Richland APUs against Trinity counterparts. The numbers do seem impressive as when Richland and Trinity flagship parts (A10-5750M and the A10-4600M) are compared AMD is claiming that Richland is up to 47 percent more efficient than the previous generation in HD playback. While there are noticeable efficiency improvements in both idle and WiFi web browsing scenarios, those are mostly attributed to lower overall consumption of the platform.

AMD also included a slide that puts the A10-5750M against some other mobile chips in Futuremark's 3DMark Fire Strike DirectX 11 benchmark showing an impressive lead over, what AMD calls, a much higher priced Intel Core i7-2520M chip. The power enhancements also come from additional frequency/voltage operating points, intelligent boost feature with better CPU and GPU power allocation and new hybrid boost that uses on-die temperature sensors and incorporates results into an algorithm bringing higher performance for typical operating conditions.

In addition to a handful of mobile Core i5 and i7 CPUs scheduled for Q1 2013, as well as a few ULV parts including the Ivy Bridge-based Celerons, Fujitsu's product site for the Lifebook NH532 has revealed two more Intel CPUs, probably scheduled for the same time frame, the Core i3-2348M and the Core i5-3230M.

Judging by the designations and some specifications revealed by Fujitsu, the Core i3-2348M seems based on the Sandy Bridge architecture, works at 2.3GHz and features 3MB of L3 cache. As a part of the Core i3 mobile series, this dual-core will feature Hyper Threading and Intel HD 3000 graphics, but will lack some features like Turbo Boost and Small Business Advantage tools. The performance will most likely be identical to the Core i3-2350M.

The Core i5-3230M is based on Intel's Ivy Bridge architecture and works at 2.6GHz base and 3.2GHz maximum Turbo clock. This dual-core CPU packs 3MB of L3 cache, supports Hyper Threading, features Intel HD 4000 graphics and has a 35W TDP. The new Core i5-3230M is a direct successor to the Core i3-3210M and will be available in both BGA and PGA packages. The same CPU will be an option in Asus' G55VW 15.6-inch gaming notebook.

Nvidia has silently updated its mobile GPU lineup with four new GPUs that should eventually start to appear in select notebooks. The lineup brings back the well known Nvidia MX moniker and includes the GTX 675MX, GTX 670MX, GT 645M and GT 625M.

We'll start with the GT 645M and the GT 625M as these are simply updated versions of the GT 640M and the GT 620M GPUs. The GT 645M has the same 384 CUDA cores as the GT 640M but works at slightly higher 710MHz for the GPU. It will still be available with both DDR3 and GDDR5 memory paired up with a 128-bit memory interface. The GT 625M also feature the same 96 CUDA cores as the GT 620M and works at the same 625MHz for the GPU. The only difference that we can see on Nvidia's specification list is that although it uses the same DDR3 memory, the memory interface is listed at "up to 128-bit", adding to a higher 28.8GB/s memory bandwidth.

The GTX 675MX and GTX 670MX are a bit more interesting, as they are quite different than the GTX 675M and the GTX 670M. Both are based on the 28nm Kepler GPUs and features 960 CUDA cores. According to what we can gather from the specs, the GTX 675MX appears to be based on a crippled GK104 GPU while the GTX 670MX is based on the GK106 one. The GTX 675MX works at 600MHz for the GPU and comes with GDDR5 memory clocked at 1800MHz and paired up with a 256-bit memory interface adding up to 115.2GB/s of memory bandwidth. The GTX 670MX works at the same 600MHz for the GPU but comes with GDDR5 memory clocked at 1800MHz and paired up with a 192-bit memory interface adding up to 67.2GB/s of memory bandwidth.

Nvidia's mobile lineup is slowly getting a bit crowded and with all the variations one should closely check the specs of the GPU inside the new notebook. The new lineup is expected to show up in new notebooks pretty soon.

It’s no secret that Apple overcharges for its shiny toys, but latest research by Raymond James Equity Research paints an even grimmer picture. Well, not for Apple of course.

The company took in 43 percent of the total industry revenue and as much as 77 percent of the industry’s operating profits in Q2 2012. To top it off, the company managed that by chipping in with a measly six percent share in shipments of smartphones and tablets.

Apple’s sue-buddy Samsung has apparently done very well in the same quarter and managed to ship 52 million smartphones. Unfortunately, even though this is almost double of what Apple moved in the meantime, Samsung didn’t make nearly as much per phone.

Analyst Travis McCourt stressed that “profits are the feedstock of innovation, and innovation drives profits”. He said that until Samsung starts beating Apple in profits, unit share will not be of particular concern.

Well what did you expect? After all, mobile gaming is exactly that - mobile gaming, and the latest study showed just why some find it so appealing. Namely, a recent study looked at gaming habits in the U.K. and U.S. and found that mobile gaming gets quite popular in church, car and even the movies, which speaks volumes about Hollywood.

The study was conducted by Information Solutions Group research firm and released by PopCap Games. Interestingly enough, the study claims that half of mobile gamers tend to stick to their mobile devices for gaming even when at home.

Apparently, playing on the couch remains the most popular at 69 percent, while gaming in cars, busses and trains comes in close second at 63 percent. 57 percent said they play at home in bed while 55 percent do it while waiting for appointments. 41 percent does it while watching TV.

As many as 10 percent of mobile gamers threw some frustrated birds around while sitting in a house of worship, while driving and in movies. Amen to that then.

For years RIM has flogged its Blackberry's to business on the basis that it was more secure because it went across an encrypted network. Now it looks like the Galaxy S IIIs will sport the company's SAFE (Samsung Approved For Enterprise) branding in an attempt to ingratiate their shiny new Android handset with business types and IT admins.

The enterprise-friendly versions of the toys will find their way to all five of the carriers that will sell the Galaxy S III in the US. There is no word if they will be seen in the EU yet.

The AES-256 encryption, Exchange ActiveSync, VPN capabilities, and "support for 338 IT policies" should make the phones more useful for enterprises. This is the last refuge point for the troubled RIM.